News/Environment
Study: AI could actually cut global emissions by 5.4B tons annually by 2035
New research suggests artificial intelligence could cut global climate pollution by up to 5.4 billion metric tons annually by 2035—far exceeding the emissions created by AI's own energy-hungry data centers. The findings from the Grantham Research Institute challenge growing concerns about AI's environmental impact, showing that strategic deployment across transportation, energy, and food systems could deliver net climate benefits equivalent to eliminating all of the European Union's current emissions. The big picture: AI's climate potential hinges on governments channeling the technology toward high-impact applications rather than letting market forces alone dictate its development. The study identifies five key areas where...
read Jun 23, 2025It’s no sweat for AI and satellites as India attempts to map deadly heat at building level
India's government is deploying artificial intelligence and satellite technology to map urban heat vulnerability at the building level, with organizations like SEEDS, a Delhi-based disaster-preparedness nonprofit, and Microsoft developing models that can assess indoor heat risk for individual structures. This granular approach addresses a critical gap in current heat action plans, which fail to target relief efforts to the most vulnerable populations during deadly heat waves that regularly push temperatures above 45°C (113°F). The big picture: Traditional heat action plans operate at city-wide scales, missing crucial variations in heat exposure that can differ by up to 9°C within the same...
read Jun 20, 2025Swiss AI cuts cement emissions by 50% while maintaining strength
Researchers at Switzerland's Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) have developed an AI framework that can generate low-carbon cement formulations in seconds, potentially cutting CO₂ emissions by up to 50% while maintaining structural performance. This breakthrough addresses one of the world's biggest climate challenges, as cement production accounts for about 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions and humanity consumes more cement than food—around 1.5 kilograms per person daily. How it works: The PSI team built a specialized AI system from the ground up rather than adapting generic models for cement development. Their custom simulation software models how various cement ingredients react during...
read Jun 19, 2025Eye in the stinky sky: AI drones detect methane leaks ahead of 2026 EPA rules
Percepto, a company specializing in autonomous inspection technology, has launched an AI-powered emission detection system that uses autonomous drones to identify methane leaks in real-time across major US oil-producing regions. The technology addresses growing regulatory pressure and operational challenges by making emissions tracking faster and more cost-effective for energy operators, particularly as new EPA rules take effect in 2026. How it works: The system combines autonomous drones with AI-powered analysis to detect methane emissions without human intervention. Drones fly scheduled missions capturing Optical Gas Imaging (OGI) video footage across oil and gas facilities. Percepto's AI algorithm analyzes the footage in...
read Jun 18, 2025Shrek-approved: AI app helps visitors identify adopted donkeys at sanctuary
University of Southampton researchers have developed an AI-powered mobile app that can identify individual donkeys at the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary using smartphone cameras. The innovation solves a practical problem for visitors who adopt donkeys but can no longer identify their chosen animals after the sanctuary removed name collars for safety reasons in 2023. How it works: The app, called Ask ELVIS (Equine Long-range Visual Identification System), uses machine learning to distinguish between donkeys based on a library of hundreds of photographs taken from every angle. Visitors point their phone camera at a donkey, and the app identifies the...
read Jun 17, 2025NAACP sues Musk’s xAI for operating unpermitted gas turbines in Black communities
The NAACP has filed an intent to sue Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI over air pollution concerns from its supercomputer facility in Memphis, Tennessee. The legal challenge targets the company's use of gas turbines that operate near predominantly Black communities without proper permits, highlighting environmental justice issues in AI infrastructure development. The big picture: xAI's Memphis data center has been operating for over a year using gas turbines without the required air quality permits, potentially violating the Clean Air Act in communities already facing elevated pollution levels. Key details: The facility began operations in 2024 powered by pollution-emitting gas...
read Jun 17, 2025What is meow for “feed me”? AI systems decode cat vocalizations with 96% accuracy
The dream of Dr. Dolittle—talking to animals—has captivated humans for generations. Now artificial intelligence is making that fantasy surprisingly real, at least for one of humanity's most beloved companions: house cats. Advanced machine learning systems are decoding the complex vocalizations that cats have developed over 12,000 years of domestication, revealing a sophisticated communication system far richer than previously understood. This technological breakthrough represents more than just novelty—it's opening new markets in pet technology, advancing our understanding of animal cognition, and demonstrating AI's capacity to bridge communication gaps in unexpected ways. From smartphone apps that translate meows in real-time to research...
read Jun 17, 2025Google gives iNaturalist $1.5M for AI tools—but users threaten to quit over environmental impact
iNaturalist, a nonprofit platform used by 3.7 million nature observers worldwide, received a $1.5 million grant from Google's philanthropic arm to develop generative AI tools for species identification. The announcement sparked significant backlash from the platform's community, who raised concerns about environmental impacts, data accuracy, and the potential devaluation of human expertise in taxonomy. What you should know: iNaturalist operates as a collaborative platform where users submit observations of wild organisms and rely on community expertise for species identification. More than 3.7 million people use the platform to record observations, from weekend naturalists to professional taxonomists The community has logged...
read Jun 16, 2025OpenAI CEO says AI may need “significant fraction” of Earth’s electricity
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly stated that a "significant fraction" of Earth's electricity should be dedicated to running AI systems, making the admission during AMD's AI conference last week. The comment reveals the massive energy demands of artificial intelligence companies and raises serious concerns about the environmental impact of AI's exponential growth. What he said: Altman made the startling admission when asked by AMD CEO Lisa Su whether there would ever be enough GPUs to meet AI demand. "Theoretically, at some points, you can see that a significant fraction of the power on Earth should be spent running AI compute,"...
read Jun 13, 2025Musk’s xAI runs 35 gas turbines without air permits for a year in regulatory loophole
Elon Musk's xAI data center in Memphis has been operating 35 methane gas turbines without federal air permits for nearly a year under a "temporary" exemption that allows up to 364 days of operation annually. The facility has drawn criticism for running without pollution controls that could reduce harmful emissions by 78%, with thermal imaging revealing more turbines active than city officials claimed. What you should know: The xAI facility exploits a regulatory loophole that exempts temporary sources from standard environmental permitting requirements. The 35 turbines emit NOx (nitrogen oxides, a harmful air pollutant) and other hazardous substances including formaldehyde...
read Jun 12, 2025Google’s AI model bears down on traditional weather forecasting in storm track success
Google has launched a new AI model for forecasting tropical storms and created Weather Lab, a website to share its AI weather research, while partnering with the US National Hurricane Center to test the technology. The initiative comes as the Trump administration has cut National Weather Service staff and capacity, raising questions about the future of public weather forecasting versus privatized services. What you should know: Google's experimental AI model can generate 50 different scenarios for a storm's possible track, size, and intensity up to 15 days in advance. The model's five-day predictions for cyclone tracks in the North Atlantic...
read Jun 12, 2025AI decodes sperm whale language revealing complex communication patterns
Researchers at the CETI project are using artificial intelligence to decode sperm whale communication, revealing that these marine mammals possess a far more sophisticated language system than previously understood. The breakthrough suggests that sperm whales may be the first non-human species to demonstrate "duality of patterning"—a linguistic complexity once thought to be uniquely human—potentially revolutionizing our understanding of animal intelligence and communication. What they discovered: CETI researchers have identified 21 distinct types of "codas" or call systems in sperm whale communication that show remarkable complexity. The team found that sperm whales can produce 10 times more meanings than previously believed,...
read Jun 6, 2025Microsoft’s Aurora AI predicts weather in seconds using 1M hours of data
Microsoft has launched Aurora, an AI weather forecasting model that the company claims delivers more accurate predictions at significantly lower computational costs than traditional forecasting methods. According to Microsoft's research, Aurora can predict air quality, ocean waves, tropical cyclone tracks, and high-resolution weather patterns using orders of magnitude less processing power than conventional approaches. What you should know: Aurora represents a foundational shift in weather prediction technology, trained on over one million hours of diverse meteorological data. The model processes information from satellites, radar, weather stations, simulations, and forecasts to generate predictions in seconds rather than hours. Microsoft has already...
read Jun 4, 2025Top researchers push back on Big Tech, alleged AI hype in new book
The fight against AI hype is gaining academic momentum, as prominent researchers Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna release their new book challenging Big Tech's narrative around artificial intelligence. Their work, "The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want," expands on their popular podcast "Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000" to provide a comprehensive critique of the exaggerated promises and potential harms of current AI development trajectories. Their analysis arrives at a crucial moment when organizations are struggling to separate genuine AI capabilities from marketing hyperbole and determine responsible implementation paths. The big picture:...
read Jun 3, 2025Meta taps atomic energy for AI in Big Tech nuclear trend
Meta's new nuclear power deal marks a significant shift in how tech giants are powering AI infrastructure, highlighting a growing trend of partnerships between technology companies and nuclear energy providers. This agreement not only salvages a struggling nuclear facility but also represents the broader tech industry's strategic pivot toward securing reliable, carbon-free energy sources to fuel the massive computing demands of artificial intelligence systems. The big picture: Meta has secured a 20-year nuclear power agreement with Constellation Energy to support its growing AI computing needs, continuing a trend of tech-nuclear partnerships. The deal will expand the output of Constellation's Clinton...
read Jun 3, 2025LG Uplus debuts liquid-cooled AI data center prototype
LG Uplus is pioneering liquid cooling technology for AI data centers with a new demonstration facility in South Korea, marking a significant shift in how telecom companies approach thermal management for high-density computing. This initiative represents a growing recognition that traditional air cooling methods cannot efficiently handle the intense heat generated by modern AI workloads, requiring innovative cooling technologies to enable sustainable expansion of AI infrastructure. The big picture: LG Uplus has launched a liquid cooling demonstration room at its Pyeongchon 2 Internet Data Center in Anyang to validate sustainable cooling technologies for AI-focused facilities. The testing environment is designed...
read Jun 3, 2025MIT study cements AI-optimized concrete recipe
Pour over this: MIT researchers have developed an innovative AI-powered framework to identify sustainable alternatives to cement in concrete production, addressing the urgent environmental challenges of the construction industry. By analyzing millions of rock samples and synthesizing data from countless scientific papers, the team has uncovered globally available materials that could replace portions of cement while maintaining concrete's critical properties. This breakthrough demonstrates how artificial intelligence can accelerate materials science research that would otherwise take "many lifetimes" to complete manually. The big picture: An MIT research team has created a machine learning framework that evaluates potential cement alternatives based on...
read Jun 3, 2025Walk it Back: AI researchers cut energy use with backward computation
Reversible computing is emerging as a promising solution to the energy efficiency crisis facing AI and computing at large. As traditional computing approaches physical limitations on chip miniaturization, researchers are turning to reversible computing—a technique that avoids energy waste by allowing computations to run backward as well as forward. This approach could potentially save orders of magnitude in power consumption, making it particularly valuable for energy-intensive AI applications where efficiency constraints threaten to limit further advancement. The big picture: Researchers are reviving interest in reversible computing as a way to dramatically reduce energy consumption in computation, particularly for power-hungry AI...
read May 23, 2025AI inflates gas turbine demand, GE Vernova exec reveals
While AI powers data centers driving GE Vernova's gas turbine business, traditional industrial growth remains the company's primary engine for demand. The energy technology firm's impressive backlog highlights how broad-based electrification needs across multiple sectors are creating sustained demand for power generation equipment that extends years into the future, revealing a more nuanced picture than the AI-centric narrative often dominating industry discussions. The big picture: GE Vernova's gas turbine business is experiencing booming demand, but contrary to popular perception, data centers represent only a small portion of their overall customer base. "If you think about ... industrialization, electrification, that's really...
read May 23, 2025Kentucky’s mining surge – Bitcoin mining, that is – fizzles amid economic challenges
Kentucky's once-promising cryptocurrency mining boom has faded, leaving rural communities in search of the next economic opportunity. The state's swift rise to control 20% of America's Bitcoin mining power represented a technological pivot for a region historically dependent on coal, but current trends suggest many operations are scaling back or shutting down entirely. This shift highlights the volatile nature of cryptocurrency-based economic development in regions seeking to replace traditional industries with digital alternatives. The big picture: Bitcoin mining operations transformed parts of rural Kentucky by repurposing former coal mining sites into cryptocurrency processing centers, but the anticipated economic renaissance has...
read May 22, 2025GOP budget bill seeks to reshape AI regulation and roll back climate incentives
House Republicans' sweeping "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" would dramatically reshape the regulatory landscape for AI, climate initiatives, and consumer protections if enacted. The narrowly-passed budget reconciliation bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate, despite President Trump's backing. This legislation represents a significant potential shift in how emerging technologies like AI are regulated in the U.S., with implications for state authority, environmental policy, and consumer financial protection. The big picture: The bill would impose a 10-year moratorium on state AI regulation, effectively nullifying hundreds of existing and proposed state laws governing artificial intelligence and automated decision systems. Republican supporters...
read May 22, 2025House Republicans move to slash solar incentives amid AI energy crunch
The House Republican tax bill threatens to undermine America's solar energy boom at a pivotal moment for both climate goals and energy security. By targeting popular solar incentives like the Investment Tax Credit (ITC), the legislation would not only increase electricity costs for average Americans but potentially surrender technological leadership to China in critical areas like electric vehicles and AI. The bill's timing is particularly problematic as data centers supporting AI development drive unprecedented demand for electricity, while domestic energy independence faces growing economic and geopolitical importance. The big picture: House Republicans have passed a tax bill that would eliminate...
read May 22, 2025AI’s power surge sparks sustainability concerns across tech industry
AI's energy consumption is emerging as a significant environmental concern, with new research indicating it now represents 20% of global data center power demand and is set to surpass Bitcoin's energy use by the end of 2024. This surge in energy consumption threatens tech companies' climate goals and highlights the growing tension between rapid AI advancement and environmental sustainability in an industry that's already consuming as much electricity as entire countries. The big picture: New research published in the journal Joule reveals AI's rapidly escalating energy footprint, which could double by year-end to comprise nearly half of all global data...
read May 22, 2025MIT study quantifies AI’s true environmental footprint for the first time
Researchers have quantified the energy and emissions impacts of AI systems in unprecedented detail, revealing significant variability based on query type, model size, and power source location. This comprehensive analysis from MIT Technology Review marks the first data-driven examination of AI's true environmental footprint, highlighting how the same AI query can have dramatically different climate impacts depending on when and where it's processed. These findings arrive at a critical time as AI deployment accelerates globally without transparent reporting from major companies about their systems' resource demands. The big picture: AI's energy consumption varies dramatically based on query complexity, model size,...
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